Means for stiffening box-toes.



J. H. ORDWAY.

MEANS FOR STIFFENING BOX TOES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-26,1917.

Patented Jan. 1,1918.

JOSEPH H. ORDWAY, 0F BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MEANS FOB BOX-TOES. i

135mm. l

To ,all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. yORDWAY, a citizen of the lUnited States, residing at Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Stiening Box-Toes, of which the following` is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes having box toes which are molded to shape during the process of lasting, and

has for its object the provision of improved stifening means for such box toes.

A box toe Iriade in accordance with my invention is'- characterized by the inclusion therein of a layer of woven wire which not only serves in itself to" impartstiffness to the box toe but is also utilized as a carrier or reinforcement for additional stiffening` material which is self-hardening but can be lsoftened suHiciently to enable the upper to conform to the last during the lasting process, and my stiifener as preferably constructed is particularly adapted and intended to be used in the manner set 'forth in a co-pending application for Letters Patent (filed Januar, 18, 1917, Serial No. 142,989), in which have described and claimed a process of making box toes which includes theinsertion into a shoe upper, before lasting, of a sheet of box toe stiEening compound in solid form but adapted to be rendered sufficiently plastic to penetrate a layer of absorbent fabric included in the toe portion of thel upper, and the lasting of the upper after the compound has been rendered plastic, whereby the soft compound is forced into the absorbent fabric and the latter is simultaneously molded to the shape-of a box toe conforming to the toe portion of the last.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating my invention,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a box toe' stifener composed of a layer of woven wire combined with a stiflening compound, the latter being partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1;

v Fig. 3 is a plan view'of'a sti'ener similar i Specication of Letters Patent. Application filed January 26, 1917. Serial No. .1445,659.

Patented 'Theaiaener illustrated in Figs. A1 and 2 has the form of a flat sheet of 'a size and Jan. 1,1918..

shape appropriate for insertion into the toel of box toe stiifening compound 3 in solid form, with the compound exposed. on both sldes of the woven wire. The latter is preferably made of-a rather ne and Springy wire but has a coarse mesh,l for reasons which will hereinafter appear.A The compound employed may be any one of a number of well-lmown box'toe stiliening. com pounds which are adapted to Ibe softened suHciently to render them plastic, but I prefer to employ a compound which is thick and viscous when soft and is of such nature that it is not liable to chip or break away 'from the woven wire when hard. This form of stifl'ener is adapted and 'intended to be employed in connection with an ing two layers of absorbent textile fabric in its toe portion, with which the stiener is combined by inserting4 it between vthe two layers of fabric in proper position with respect to they toe portion of the upper, then lfpper havadhesion, and lasting the upper with the v compound in a lsoft condition as explained in my prior application above referred to.J

By the lasting operation the woven wire 1s given the shape of the underlying surface of the last, to which it is enabled to con.

`form without wrinklingby the capacity of the individual-wires to ymove laterally, due

to the coarseness of the mesh, and the form of the resulting box toe is made permanent by the combined effect ofthe stiened' layers of textile fabric and thelayer of woven wire between them, all of which are united into a unitary structure.

The stiffener shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is composed of the same parts as that shown in Figs. 1 and'2 and, inv addition, a Abacking 4 which covers the compound on gne side of the stiifener and preferably consists of a sheet of thin .textile material held in place by adhesion. The employment of such a backing results in causing the softened compound to be forced wholly or.

mainly into that'layer of textile fabric in the upperwhich islocated next. to the exf posed compound, and which will ordinarily -be the inner layer of fabric. If the upper also contains a layer of textile fabric located be accomplished by employing a backing 4 -which is somewhat permeable to the compound, While by employing an impervious backing the compound may be confined Wholly to the inner layer of ltextile fabric.

ln case the compound in which the woven Wire 2 is embedded is of 'such a nature that it is liable to chip H or break away from the Wire during transportation or while being handled, loss of the compound in this manner may be prevented by covering it "with anl adherent backing 5 of textile fabric or other exible material, as shown in liig. 5. ln such case it is desirable to locate the woven wire close to one side of the stidener and to apply the backing 5 to the other side, the Wire itself serving to prevent loss of the compound from that side of the stiifener in which it is embedded. rll`he woven wire is shown as similarly located in Figs. 2 and 4:, but there iS no particular advantage in this, since the compound, when soft, can readily pass through the open meshes 'from one side to the other.

A stiener having a backing 5 may also be provided on its opposite face with a backing 4 as in Fig. 4;, if desired, such a modification being shown in Fig. 6. lin such caseiit is desirable to employ backings of which one at least is permeable to the compound When softened, in order that enough of `the soft compound may reach the textile4 fabric in the upper'to secure the stidencr in posltion by adhesion. llt; will be evident,

however, that a stifenerhavingan imper yious backing on each side may be secured 1n proper position in the upper by stitching or stapling it therein, and the box toe will then be stiened by the combined edect of the woven wire, the backings and the stifening material inclosed by the latter.

Each form ofstiener above described is most convenientlyA obtained by rst preparing a dat sheet of considerable size and uniform thiclmess, and containing the desired parts properly combined, and then cutting the'individual sheets from it by means of dies of appropriate sizes and shapes, ac-

cording to the patterns of the uppers invvhich they are tobe used. The stidening compound Semay be graded in thiclmess as desired, according to the quantity of compound Which is required for stidening purposes in a givenv size and style of shoe, and the individual sheets may be subsequently subjected to a preliminary moldin operation while the compound is in a so condition and thereby made thicker at -one point than at another as explained in my prior e a plication` above'referred to, wherein vanous other advantages obtainable from such a stidener are pointed out in detail.

l have found .that 4by the emploent of matiere la stidener constructed as above described it is possible to produce a box toe in which the necessary stiffness is combined with elasticity to an extent Which is unobtainable by the use of a stiffened textile fabric alone, and that the woven Wire itself imparts so much sti'ness to the box toe that itis unnecessary' to include therein the extra layer of. textile fabric which is sometimes required in order to provide enough absorbent material for the reception of the stiffening compound. Furthermore, When my stidener is used in the manufacture of shoes in which .the stiffened portion of the upper has to oe turned inward under the bottom of the last, as in McKay shoes, it has the important ad-I vantage that the freedom of the individual Wires composing the layer 2 enables them to be spread apart or crowded together Without forming folds beneath the toe portion of the last, thus avoiding a difficulty which occurs in the use of stiffened box toe blanks i of felt and the like and which has frequently made it necessary heretofore to provide such blanks with marginal notchesl in order to remove the excess material. ll claim:

l.- As an article of manufacture, a box toe stiener in the form of a sheet having a size and shape appropriate for insertion into an lunlasted shoe upper and comprising a layer of Woven `Wire embedded in a self-hardening stidening compound which is adapted to be softened to enable the upper to conform to the last. a

2. As an article of manufacture, a box toe stidener'in the form of a sheet having a size and shape appropriate for insertion into an unlasted shoe upper and comprising a layer of Woven Wire embedded in a self-hardening stiening compound which is adapted to be Y and shape appropriate for insertion into an unlasted shoe upper and comprising a layer of Woven Wire embedded in a relatively thick layer of self-hardening stidening compound `which is adapted to be softened to enable the upper to conform to the last, said woven. Wire being located adjacent to one side of the layer of compound, and a dexible backing covering the other side of the layer of compound. y

4l. As an article of manufacture, a box toe stidener in theform of a sheet having a size and shape appropriate for insertion into an unlasted shoe upper and comprising a layer of Woven Wire embedded in a 'self-hardening stiffening compound which is adapted to be softened to enable the upper to conform to- 5. As an article of manufacture, a box toe stifener in the form of a sheet having a size and shape appropriate for insertion into an unlasted shoe upper and comprising a layer of Woven Wire embedded in a self-hardening stiening compound which is adapted to be softened to enable the upper to conform to the last, said sheet being provided with a exible backing which is permeable to the compound When soft. 10

Signed at Boston, Mass., this 24th day of January, 1917.

JOSEPH H. ORDWAY. 

